k-ville

Dancing with the Stars seems to be unstoppable. The two-hour long episode of the celebrity dancing show led ABC to a win last night (along with The Bachelor) in not only households but also the 18-49 demographic.

NBC was second in 18-49 (tied for third in households) with Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman. CBS tied them with How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami (which rolled over The Bachelor and Journeyman, of course). FOX was number four in both households and 18-49 with Prison Break and K-Ville, and then The CW, with Everybody Hates Chris, the series premiere of Aliens in America, then Girlfriends and The Game.

By the way, all of the new shows (Chuck, Journeyman, Big Bang Theory, and K-Ville) dropped a bit in their second weeks, in both households and 18-49.

It's been a bit over a week since we started the TV Squad cancellation trifecta game, and a near-miss today calls for an update.

As reported in today's Cynopsis, Nashville has been taken out of its Friday night slot for the next two weeks, making room for repeats of K-Ville. However, this is not a cancellation -- yet! Word is that this is due to the baseball season, with the show returning when baseball concludes.

So, what happens if Nashville actually never returns? Well, according to a quick look at the entries to the contest, there are about 200 of you who've chosen this show as the first to go, and you'll all be in the drawing for the first part of the prize. Cross your fingers!

• At 8, CBS has the season premiere of How I Met Your Mother, then the series premiere of Big Bang Theory and the season premieres of Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami.
• ABC has the two-hour season premiere of Dancing with the Stars at 8, then the season premiere of The Bachelor.
• NBC has the series premiere of Chuck at 8, followed by the season premiere of Heroes and the series premiere of Journeyman.
• There's a new Prison Break on FOX at 8, then a new K-Ville.
• PBS has another installment of The War at 8.
• At 8:30, ESPN has the Saints/Titans game.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Food Network has a new Unwrapped at 9.
• VH-1 has a new Pick Up Artist at 9.
• At 10, MTV has a new episode of The Hills, followed by a new Life of Ryan.
• The Travel Channel has a new Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations at 10.
• Also at 10: Showtime has a new Weeds, then a new Californication.
• At 10:30, HGTV has a new Living with Ed.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Apparently it's free internet TV week. First NBC announced it would be launching a free video download service. Then ABC announced it would stream free episodes through AOL.

And now Fox is offering free downloads of series/season premieres of 7 shows. You'll be able to download the episodes from Apple's iTunes store. The episodes are commercial free, and the goal is to build buzz for the Fox programs.

• At 8, FOX has the season premiere of Prison Break, then the series premiere of K-Ville.
• NBC has the season premiere of Deal or No Deal at 8, followed by a new Singing Bee.
• E! has a new Fashion Police at 8, going over the Emmy outfits.
• Bravo has a new Inside The Actor's Studio, with Charlie Sheen.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• Food Network has a new Unwrapped at 9.
• VH-1 has a new Pick Up Artist at 9.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• There's a new Slacker Cats on ABC Family at 10.
• Travel Channel has a new Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations at 10.
• Showtime has a new Weeds at 10, then a new Californication.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new episode of The Hills, then a new Life of Ryan.
• At 10:30, HGTV has a new Living with Ed.

Check your local TV listings for more.

In order to create more buzz about its new Monday show K-Ville, Fox decided to put the full pilot online for U.S. citizens to watch. Surely, they hope that TV fans will watch it before its September 17 premiere and blog about it, thus generating a buzz (and creating a free marketing campaign).

K-Ville, a series starring Antony Anderson and Cole Hauser, is a police drama set in New Orleans, two years after Katrina hit the city. The series follows cops who remained active after the devastating event as they try to reclaim and rebuild the city.

Just when I thought it was another field trip.

Rather than load all 200 plus members of the TCA on a plane to New Orleans, Fox decided to have a N.O.-themed party at Les Deux, a trendy restaurant in Hollywood in honor of its new series K-Ville, which has cast Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as cops in a post-Katrina Louisiana.

There was only man who could give me the full scoop on this series and what it will mean to New Orleans -- Times Picayune TV columnist Dave Walker

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly answered inquiries from TCA members on Sunday about a big name exiting the network -- only the network was NBC and the departure was Reilly's own.

Reilly poked fun at the standard reasons found in press releases that are used to explain a person's leaving a top gig. "No one is ever really fired in Hollywood are they," he rhetorically asked, adding, "You can pick whatever trade euphemism you want [to explain my exit from NBC]. 'I segued.' 'I thought about it over the holidays.' I want to spend more time with my family, which I did for three days.'"

Then, Fox hired him to work with Peter Liguori, the network's entertainment chairman.

Fox Broadcasting Company gets its turn today to go in front of the TCA membership at the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom.

You can bet Kevin Reilly, president, entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, is going to be asked a few questions about his exit last spring from NBC.

Once those inquiries get out of the way, Reilly, and Peter Liguori, Fox's chairman, entertainment, will tout Fox's upcoming TV shows.

In a press release sent out today, FOX revealed the premiere dates of both its returning shows and five new additions. Most returning series are back in their old timeslots. However, a lot are paired with a different series than they were during the 2006-2007 season.

Note that this schedule only lists shows beginning in September.

Fox really only has a handful of new pilots to premiere next season because it's holding on to mega ratings-getters like American Idol, House, Prison Break, and 24... to name a few. It's replacing last season's stinkers such as Standoff and Justice.

At its upfronts presentation last month, the net announced two new reality shows, three new comedies and five new dramas. Of those, we have seen all the comedies and dramas except a drama called Nashville, which Fox has not yet released for preview.

Well, the network upfronts have come and gone and the viewing public has had a few days to reflect on the new, the old, and the missing of the 2007-08 season. And, as usual, the viewing public is utterly confused. That's because, as is the norm, the networks have shuffled their shows around to make room for their up-and-coming of the past season as well as the hopeful successes of the new season. So, what better time for us to present a complete look at next season's television schedule.

Now, I know what you're going to say, and I'll try to get your voice right when I repeat it. You say 'Rich, why are you posting the schedule now when we can just go to the individual upfront posts and look at them there.' Well, first, I get paid by the post. And second, do you really want to jump back and forth between upfront posts to see if your favorite show is going to conflict with something new that you want to watch? Sure, all those mouse clicks push up our total hit count, but you're going to get awfully tired switching back-and-forth. Frankly, we're just a bit concerned.

Thus, the reason for this post. So, sit back, jump ahead, and enjoy a full look at the fall television landscape. Then, when you're done, go see a doctor because that mole does not look good at all.

This year, FOX is hoping for a stronger fall season with a shorter baseball hiatus. Instead of 26 game nights, FOX is expecting to air only 14 games leading up to and including the World Series. Once again, FOX's January schedule has FOX poised for a win in ratings with non-stop 24 and renewal of American Idol. One schedule item worth noting is The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based on the Terminator movies. Fox chose to hold it until mid-season because they want a strong female audience, which is something they get when American Idol returns.

In: 'Til Death, House, Bones, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, America's Most Wanted, Cops, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, American Idol, 24, Prison Break,

New: K-Ville, New Amsterdam, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Back to You, Return of Jezebel James, Rules for Starting Over, Kitchen Nightmares, Canterbury's Law, Nashville

Out: The Winner, Standoff, Drive, The War at Home, The O.C., Justice, Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells, The Loop

Moving: 'Til Death, Bones (spring)

You would think that the early, painful demise of The Nine, Kidnapped, Smith, Six Degrees, and other new dramas this season that there would be more comedy pilots picked up for the 2007 season. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, that's not the case.

Except for some solid buzz from a handful of comedies, including ABC's Sam I Am, ABC's Cavemen and Miss/Guided, and several shows at CBS, it looks like more dramas will make the schedule, including NBC's Bionic Woman and Journeyman, ABC's Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies, CBS' Babylon Fields, The Man, and Viva Laughlin. The new Jimmy Smits drama might replace Close To Home on Fridays, while FOX has the much-hyped Sarah Connor Chronicles, K-Ville, and Them.

Fox gave the green light to a pilot about cops living and working in post-Katrina New Orleans. It's one of four Katrina-related projects that were being pitched to networks for the next television season, but it's the only one that is moving forward. K-Ville is an hour-long drama that tells the stories of the police officers who stayed behind when the hurricane hit.

Other New Orleans-themed shows include two more cop shows based in the city that ABC passed on, and one called NoLa that NBC passed on even with the possibility that Spike Lee would direct the pilot. It's surprising, really, that K-Ville made the cut because the crisis in New Orleans continues. If nothing else, maybe it will renew the public's interest in that very damaged city.

[Via TV Tattle]